Giving up coaching isn't easy

Published: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 7:10 p.m.

There is always some nervous tension when someone starts a new job. Am I going to like it? Am I going to be any good at it?

And, if that person's leaving a job, especially one he likes, that makes it even tougher. If he doesn't like the new job, will he regret leaving the perfectly good job behind?

Mark Holcomb faced that dilemma seven years ago. He had an opportunity, after coaching North Davidson football for four years, to take a pay raise and, possibly, a lifestyle raise and accept an assistant principal position at North. It was a natural transition; growing up in Arcadia and graduating from North, Holcomb bleeds black and orange.

But it didn't take long for him to figure out administration wasn't for him. A lot of coaches say, when they move up to administration, they're hoping to see their children more, spend more time with their families. But that doesn't appear to be the case, by much anyway.

Whereas coaches usually have an offseason — if you only coach football, the winter and spring should be much more relaxed — there is no offseason for administrators. No matter what the function is at the school, the administrative staff has to be there to make sure nothing crazy happens. Every football, soccer, tennis, wrestling, track, baseball and every other kind of game that's played, an administrator has to be there.

Another tough part about moving to administration is the required shift in loyalty. Seeing Jonathan Brown at North Davidson for two years, and now at Ledford, is odd. Brown graduated from Central Davidson and spent his entire adult life working at the school, until he went into administration. That nudged him to North, and now he's the main man at Ledford.

That's like seeing Jerry Walser head somewhere other than West Davidson, or Matt Griffin leave Welcome for another school. It just wouldn't seem right.

For Holcomb, he knew his heart was in Welcome. Being in administration taught him that his heart was on the football field in Welcome. After a two-year stint with Tasker Fleming as head coach ended, North tapped Holcomb, who jumped at the chance to return to coaching.

Whether he came back with a renewed energy, whether he learned something from watching for a couple of years or whatever, Holcomb came back better than ever. The Knights started winning those Central Piedmont Conference games they could never win before.

They figured out how to beat Davie County, and West Forsyth, and Mount Tabor. But they couldn't figure out how to win in November.

Until now. Holcomb, for the first time in his career, will have to cut his Thanksgiving meal short Thursday. He'll have to head to work, getting his team ready for the 4-A state semifinals. North hosts Porter Ridge in what should be a tasty treat at 7:30 Friday night.

Holcomb's just glad, this time he'll be on the sidelines, not at the top of the hill near the concession stand, making sure everything is running smoothly in the parking lot and the stands. This time, all of his attention will be on the field.

Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.

<p>There is always some nervous tension when someone starts a new job. Am I going to like it? Am I going to be any good at it?</p><p>And, if that person's leaving a job, especially one he likes, that makes it even tougher. If he doesn't like the new job, will he regret leaving the perfectly good job behind?</p><p>Mark Holcomb faced that dilemma seven years ago. He had an opportunity, after coaching North Davidson football for four years, to take a pay raise and, possibly, a lifestyle raise and accept an assistant principal position at North. It was a natural transition; growing up in Arcadia and graduating from North, Holcomb bleeds black and orange.</p><p>But it didn't take long for him to figure out administration wasn't for him. A lot of coaches say, when they move up to administration, they're hoping to see their children more, spend more time with their families. But that doesn't appear to be the case, by much anyway.</p><p>Whereas coaches usually have an offseason — if you only coach football, the winter and spring should be much more relaxed — there is no offseason for administrators. No matter what the function is at the school, the administrative staff has to be there to make sure nothing crazy happens. Every football, soccer, tennis, wrestling, track, baseball and every other kind of game that's played, an administrator has to be there.</p><p>Another tough part about moving to administration is the required shift in loyalty. Seeing Jonathan Brown at North Davidson for two years, and now at Ledford, is odd. Brown graduated from Central Davidson and spent his entire adult life working at the school, until he went into administration. That nudged him to North, and now he's the main man at Ledford.</p><p>That's like seeing Jerry Walser head somewhere other than West Davidson, or Matt Griffin leave Welcome for another school. It just wouldn't seem right.</p><p>For Holcomb, he knew his heart was in Welcome. Being in administration taught him that his heart was on the football field in Welcome. After a two-year stint with Tasker Fleming as head coach ended, North tapped Holcomb, who jumped at the chance to return to coaching.</p><p>Whether he came back with a renewed energy, whether he learned something from watching for a couple of years or whatever, Holcomb came back better than ever. The Knights started winning those Central Piedmont Conference games they could never win before. </p><p>They figured out how to beat Davie County, and West Forsyth, and Mount Tabor. But they couldn't figure out how to win in November.</p><p>Until now. Holcomb, for the first time in his career, will have to cut his Thanksgiving meal short Thursday. He'll have to head to work, getting his team ready for the 4-A state semifinals. North hosts Porter Ridge in what should be a tasty treat at 7:30 Friday night.</p><p>Holcomb's just glad, this time he'll be on the sidelines, not at the top of the hill near the concession stand, making sure everything is running smoothly in the parking lot and the stands. This time, all of his attention will be on the field.</p><p>Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.</p>